1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to bicycle saddles and more particularly, to a shell for a bicycle saddle.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is well known that a bicycle saddle includes a shell that forms the basic configuration of the saddle, a resilient pad covering the top of the shell for making the saddle more comfortable, a protective layer covering the resilient pad, and a supporting frame attached to the bottom of the shell for being mounted to a seat post of a bicycle.
Because the shell for the bicycle saddle must have strong structural strength to serve as a support, it is usually made of material with a sufficient hardness. For improvement of comfort, some conventional shells for bicycle saddles have specific configurations that may increase the elasticity of the shells, thereby reducing the sensation of hardness given by the saddles to the riders and improving the saddles' ability of absorbing vibration.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,341,308 B2 disclosed a shell for a bicycle saddle, which has an elongated groove extending along an imaginary longitudinal axis of the shell, such that the shell has two elastic wings located by two sides of the groove and capable of swinging elastically. However, such configuration design is not quite effective in improving the elasticity of the shell.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,801 disclosed a shell for a bicycle saddle, which has two sockets for insertion of two ends of the supporting frame. The two sockets are shaped as cantilevers extending from two opposite inner surfaces of the shell respectively, thereby capable of swinging elastically so as to improve the shell's ability of absorbing vibration. However, the connecting areas between the sockets and the inner surfaces of the shell are too small to be strong enough in structure, so the sockets are liable to be fractured. Besides, the inner surfaces of the shell are supported by the supporting frame through the sockets, so the section from the sockets to a rear edge of the shell is almost inflexible.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,936 disclosed a shell for a bicycle saddle, which also has sockets similar to that mentioned in the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,801 for insertion of two ends of the supporting frame and increasing the elasticity of the shell. The shell has relatively larger connecting areas between the sockets and the inner surfaces, and therefore the sockets are less possible to be fractured, but this design may cause higher material cost in manufacturing.